Trudeau addressed CLC

The Canadian Labour Congress welcomed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at its Canadian Labour Congress Canada Council meeting on November 10, the first time a sitting prime minister has addressed the Congress in 50 years.

Society president Scott Travers, as the Canadian representative for IFPTE, attended.

“I was heartened to hear Prime Minister Trudeau recommit to his most important promises to workers during the election,” said Travers, referring to Trudeau’s plan to scrap the anti-labour Conservative legislation bills C-377 and C-525.

Bill C-377 was designed by former prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives to wrap unions in red tape and force them to disclose publicly confidential information that is already available to members but would undermine the ability to collectively bargain. Meanwhile, Bill C-525 took away workers’ right to organize a union through card check, and instead requires federally regulated workers to hold a vote that provides employers the opportunity to intimidate workers and scare them out of forming a union.

The Canada Council also adopted plans to run a major campaign to end violence against women that members will see over the course of the coming year, and committed the labour movement to helping Syrian refugees get a strong start in Canada. Affiliated unions to the CLC were asked to contribute to settling Syrian refugees and The Society stepped up to the plate with a $10,000 commitment.